Exactly!
Does it matter, whether subliminal techniques originated
in the world of art , the psychology laboratory, or
are some hybrid combining material from the arts and
social sciences? All one needs to do is throw
in a touch of unethical professional behaviour, some
creativity and stir well. The result is subliminal
or semi-subliminal advertising.

If
advertising agencies produce ads such as those discussed
below does it matter whether the outcome is defined
as subliminal advertising or semi-subliminal advertising?
When one focusses on unethical behaviour then it is,
in some respects, immaterial what the outcome is called.
In other respects, however, the origins and terminology
does matter. For example, one needs to use different
terms for different factors if one is to classify
data accurately and develop relevant critiques.
The issue of terminology is picked up later in this
section but meanwhile the focal concern in this section
of Beginnings is Who funds such ads?

Presented
below are a number of thumbnail examples, presented
in alphabetical order by product name or company/association.
Most of these thumbnails do not provide sufficient
information for viewers to detect the elements that
have been 'doctored'. To view larger versions
of the ads simply click on the hyperlink.

It
is unlikely to go unnoticed by viewers that all of
these examples come from major companies. Most
of them are also rather recent. The Ads
of the Month page illustrates even more contemporary
ads. Semi-subliminal advertising is clearly
'alive and well' in some sectors of the advertising
industry. It is not simply a historical phenomenon
that died out decades ago.

If
the arguments put forward over the past few decades
were true - that 'subliminal advertising' is a waste
of time - one might reasonably ask why these techniques
are still being used by the largest, wealthiest and
most powerful companies around? Companies, moreover,
who draw upon the creative resources of the largest,
most influential, advertising agencies in existence.
This is a question worth obtaining an answer to.

These
ads - and many others of their ilk - have the potential
to influence consumers over time. Yet their
impact is not generally appreciated by members of
the public. This is because the motivating element/message/image
is contained within these ads but is presented in
a form which places them at the boundary of perceptual
ability.

Such
semi-subliminal messages/images clearly represent
a failure of advertising agencies to work within the
restrictions common to almost all professional advertising
associations. These guidelines
are intended to prevent the use of subliminal advertising,
generally defined as advertising that falls with that
area of visual perception that can influence individuals
but is not noticeable.

The
definition
of what constitutes subliminal material (outside the
psychological laboratory) is vague and could easily
encompass material within ads that are simply not
noticed because of lack of attention.
However, the distinguishing characteristic of semi-subliminal
aspects of advertising are that they are incorporated
into ads intentionally and they are not intended
to be perceived consciously. Even
if viewers paid close attention to them, they would,
in many cases, not notice the manipulative elements
unless attention was drawn to them.

The
elements of concern within these ads are not truly
subliminal i.e. they can be perceived, although some
effort and practice is required if one is to detect
them consistently. I would prefer
therefore to refer to such ads as semi-subliminal
ads. This is a somewhat more accurate term than the
current tendency to label them as subliminal ads.
A more detailed case for this point is presented on
the Theory
page.

A
clear distinction that can be drawn between subliminal
advertising and the majority of semi-subliminal ads.
It is therefore possible that the current (ambiguous)
guidelines were drawn up specifically to exclude detailed
consideration of semi-subliminal ads. A vague definition,
one that focuses on information and images that cannot
be perceived, is extremely beneficial to members of
the advertising profession. Advertising professionals
are then free to argue, disingenuously, that they
do not indulge in subliminal advertising. The ads
in question are, of course, not subliminal.
They are merely semi-subliminal.

Restrictions,
either voluntary or because of legislation, apply
to the use of subliminal advertising in a number of
countries. Unfortunately, there seems to have been
little effort devoted to applying the spirit of the
voluntary advertising guidelines either in the UK
or the USA. The guidelines are not
underpinned by legislation and they are not enforceable.
Can the consumer therefore be expected to have much
faith in the bodies responsible for implementing such
guidelines?

It
is possibly worth noting that the bodies responsible
for the implementation of the guidelines almost inevitably
contain or are likely to be responsive to influential
members and companies who are in breach of the guidelines.
See the page devoted to an ad campaign produced by
theAmerican Association of Advertising Agencies
(AAAA) for some justification for an extremely
cynical viewpoint regarding the ability of professional
advertising bodies to police their own activities.
Correspondence with the Advertising Standards Authority
in the UK (see
the ASA pages) also does not lead one to have
a great deal of faith in such organizations.

For advertising guidelines
to be enforced in the interests of the consumer i.e.
to inform and offer information and not to manipulate,
would seemingly require that such bodies as the ASA
be independent of the parent organization (the Institute
of Advertising Practitioners) and, if necessary, be
backed by effective legislation.

Along time ago, at an Open University Summer School,
I was pondering over what topic I should present as
an evening lecture. The lectures were intended to
give students an insight into the application of psychology
and help sustain their interest in the subject.
My research at the time was into drinking and driving,
a topic that did not exactly grip the attention
of most students after a hard days work on research
projects. They wanted something more stimulating
(and less closely related to their recreational time
in the Univesity bar). I happened to come
across a newspaper article referring to statements
attributed
to Winston Fletcher, currently Chairman of Delany
Fletcher Bozell and a former president of the Advertising
Association. He stated that "Sex, like
beauty, is in the eye of the beholder". Prior
to these he had rambled through various issues concerning
advertising and complaints about advertising, in the
process managing to confabulate 'subliminal' advertising
with socially acceptable advertising. Primarily he
followed the 'party line' and dismissed Wilson Keys
views (see
ClassKey).

Some
years previously I had read Wilson
Key's book Subliminal Seduction and subsequently
noted, in passing, a few examples of 'subliminal'
advertising in UK publications. I felt that Fletcher
had grossly misrepresented the potential for an appreciation
of the relationship between unacceptable, sexually
oriented, advertising and public complaints about
overt sexuality in advertising, especially as his
touchstone was the number of complaints submitted
to the various authorities concerned with advertising
and TV commercials.

Public complaints can only arise
if the public are aware of the topic that they are
complaining about. Where semi-subliminal (and
subliminal) advertising is concerned there is little
or no possibility of complaints arising. I therefore
took issue with his comments and wrote a brief article
raising the relevant issue with the paper which had
published Fletcher's comments. They did not
reply. Neither did any of the other major newspapers
that I wrote to.

In
retrospect I had probably jumped the gun. Even
though I presented a reasonable argument, my evidence
was simply based on a number of individual ads.
And these, of course, are open to interpretation in
a number of different ways. Had I been
able to assemble a number of examples from the same
companies or for related products then the outcome
might have been different and my article published.
Had publication occurred then my interest in the subject
would probably have terminated as I, like most other
individuals, had no idea of the extent to which this
form of manipulative advertising permeated certain
sectors of the advertising industry.

Winston
Fletcher is still promoting Advertising in all its
glory - but he never acknowledged its warts.
Possibly because his bread is buttered on the side
of advertising, rather than the consumer. It
may also simply be that he, like virtually all members
of the lay public, is unaware of the actions of unethical
members of his profession. Despite producing
the numerous ads reproduced on this site, they are
not in breach of any of the criteria laid down by
the A.S.A. Nevertheless their actions are manipulative
rather than adhering to any of the normal standards
of advertising, essentially to be persuasive, educational,
interesting, informative, etc. or any combination
of these characteristics.

The semi-subliminal content
of the ads these companies produce is not in accordance
with the A.S.A. standards. The caption
appended to the black and white picture of Fletcher
appearing in Campaign magazine on the 6th June,
1997 indicates Fletchers 'mind-set'. It states, in
effect that "You will not have seen an advert
that breaks the rules". This is not surprising,
since the rules do not encompass subliminal or semi-subliminal
advertising. Semi-subliminal aspects of ads
fall through the loopholes in the A.S.A. guidelines
and have the sole aim of 'brainwashing' individuals
by attempting to manipulate emotions and influence
attitudes and thought as contributory steps towards
influencing behaviour.

The
degree of attention one might wish to pay to Fletcher's
statements or anyone else speaking
for the Advertising Industry can be judged by the
nature of the arguments that they put forward in a
video tape as proxy representatives for the Tobacco
Industry. See the various pages devoted to Marlboro,
Silk
Cut, Benson
and Hedges, Camel
and other cigarette brands for additional evidence
and views on the topics raised in the article illustrated
in the thumbnail print. The full article can
be read by clicking on the thumbnail.

To
cut a long story short, I began to collect examples
of subliminal advertising. As my collection grew it
became evident that the techniques were used systematically
in conjunction with various product relevant themes.
My terminology also changed as I more readily acknowledged
the semi-subliminal (or marginally perceptible nature)
of the ads
I was viewing. I also noted the problems caused by
the use of reliance upon the term subliminal to cover
a whole host of disparate forms of advertising and
promotional activities. En route I discovered a sexy
tennis ball.

I
noted that this ad had a pair of sticking plasters
rather than the single plaster one would normally
use. I was also intrigued as to why I was drawn to
have a second look at this ad ( a full page spread
in a daily newspaper ). My attention was drawn to
a dark shape on the top left hand side. When viewed
full on it is simply that - a dark smudge. However,
when viewed in isolation from the rest of the ad as
the page is turning the image is compressed. It can
be considered to offer a shape remarkably like the
male testicles and an erect penis.

Why
should such a sexually oriented thought strike when
all that is evident is a dark smudge. It is not simply
the result of a fevered imagination. Look again and
you will note that there are a number of cues in the
ad that lead ones thoughts in this direction. Foremost
amongst these is the X formed by the sticking plaster.
Above this is an S formed by the flattend portion
of the band that runs around a tennis ball. S and
X, of course are pretty close to SeX. The unconscious
'labelling' of the dark smudge to bring it 'into line'
with other thought processes triggered by association
with SX (sex) is therefore not unexpected.

There
may also be numerous embedded letters in this ad which
further facilitated my conclusion. However, these
could simply be the result of projection. My judgement
of the sexy tennis ball may also be in error as I
have not come across any other ads for the same product.
However, even if the interpretation of this ad is
completely erroneous, it deserves a place in the author's
personal history. This was the first semi-subliminal
ad I analysed in more than superficial terms. The
inability to present a conclusive argument on the
basis of isolated ads also helped provide the basis
for the need to take a longitudinal approach and collect
series of ads.

As
you progress through this site, you will not that
in many instances every attempt has been made to demonstrate
that the use of semi-subliminal techniques occurs
systematically. Series of ads are presented whenever
possible.

Once
may be chance. Twice could be coincidence. But three
or more uses for the same product or by the same company
indicates an intentional, manipulative, human hand
lies behind the ads. Further research into this topic
by individuals familiar with the intricate and interlaced
world of advertising will undoubtedly discover that
many of the ads were produced by the same ad agencies
and even the same individuals.

This
page has multiple parts: click to continue

You are on Part 2 and Parts 3-5
have yet to be allocated

ï¿½

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